Shannon
I recently got my first DSLR camera and have taken a few private photography lessons. My instructor recommended Scott Kelby as a good author for photography books and this is the first one I picked up. Very good, practical information that gave me a lot of good ideas about how I can improve my photos.
I decided to start listening to the audio version of this while I was making dinner. It's read by David Tennant. Very fun story.
My daughter's sixth grade class was reading Holes by Louis Sachar. I decided to read it too since I had never read the book, but liked the movie. This is a really wonderful book. It touches on so many important themes in really accessible ways. It's easy to read, but still compelling. I love the way everything works together in each character's backstory for a really satisfying connection. My daughter, who is usually an all-fantasy reader, really liked it too. It occured to me that this book might be considered magical realism. It's mostly realistic fiction, with interspersed historical fiction, but the element of the “curse” could be a bit of magical realism.
Seasonal Vibe: Summer! Takes place on June 20
This Night is Ours was a wonderful book about understanding yourself with friendship, some romance, and art. The characters and relationships feel very authentic. The book takes place all in 24 hours, on the Summer Solstice. It's a wonderful book I happily recommend for teens and up.
I love this series as a whole. I like some of the books better than others, but even in my lesser favorites, there's at least one thing which stands out and makes me think fondly of it.
Seasonal Vibe: Christmastime Travel Location: England I loved this book. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year had a balanced mix of mystery and romance. Some romance would be happening and then suddenly something would happen to get you back to the mystery, and vice versa. I loved the characters, and the vibe was perfect. It was Mystery+Romance+ Christmastime in snowy England. It was a joyful reading experience. It wasn't all “fluff”, though, because it did deal with difficult character backstories and bad things that had happened in the past. Of course, there was crime to solve, but also a character who's been gaslit. I liked Ally Carter's YA books; my favorites are her Heist Society books. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year had a similar feel to Heist Society, but adult. I went to a fantastic Ally Carter signing event shortly after this book was released, but I'd waited to read it because it's a Christmas book.
I just saw this book show up while browsing my kid's “Kindle Freetime” library options. I suddenly remembered reading it as a kid.
Haven't checked yet, but I'm pretty sure this is the book where they overflow the dishwasher and bubbles go everywhere, and make snowballs out of ice cream.
Mixed
I loved the creative world and treatment of the “upside down” kids. I was a bit shocked at the behavior of Nory's father and siblings, though. Mostly good. Parents aren't perfect, and maybe that will be addressed later in the series.
Fun Read
All of these Jane books are creative and funny. This one didn't disappoint. I also loved the Annie Oakley character. There could be a spinoff series of books about people named Anne!
My husband is a game developer, and this is his favorite book. It was pretty interesting.
This is my first of this type of “fae book” I think. I'm not sure if it's quite what I expected. Some parts seemed a bit too adult to me for a young adult book. I loved all the classical quotes before each chapter. I feel a little undecided about my opinion on this book. Maybe I'll have more of an opinion after I read the next one.
I want that last page read at my funeral. This book has some of the best quotes out of the whole series, and alot of good allusions to apologetics. Great parallels to the modern world that still work today, like the ridiculousness of the Tashlan lie.
My daughter and I both enjoyed this series. We'll have to figure out something else to do at bedtime!
I liked this book better than the previous one. I was starting to feel like the series was a bit slow after reading the third book, but this one zipped by and I'm anxious to read the next.
I want that last page read at my funeral. This book has some of the best quotes out of the whole series, and alot of good allusions to apologetics. Great parallels to the modern world that still work today, like the ridiculousness of the Tashlan lie.
This is my favorite Lewis. I remember the first time I read it. When I was finished I wanted to go back to the beginning and start over again.
I liked this book just as much as all the others in the series. It was just so fun and very sweet.
Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot was a funny and enjoyable fantasy romantic comedy with excellent fall vibes in a cozy small town, perfect for the Halloween season. Enchanted to Meet You stars a witch named Jessica who lives in a small Connecticut town and owns a cute clothing boutique. The fun begins shortly before Halloween when Derrick comes into her shop and tells her about a prophecy that might involve her. This book had delightful main characters as well as great side character friends. It also has some flashbacks to events from Jessica's high school days, and has chapters from the perspectives of both Jessica and Derrick. Meg Cabot's narrative style is friendly, light, and funny. If you're looking for a fun romantic comedy to read this fall, Enchanted to Meet You is a great choice. Tropes/themes: fake dating, witches, small town in peril, Halloween season, forced proximity, mid-2000s high school flashbacks, dual timeline, multiple POVs, romantic comedy Thank you to NetGalley and @Avonbooks for my digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
Yes
I think I highlighted about half of this book. Anyone who follows Jesus or grew up in church should read this.
Finally finished this book. (I was hooked, but my 6 month old kept my reading at a crawl for a while in the middle). I got sucked right in and though this book had the slight unfinished feeling first books sometimes have, that also makes me eager for the next installment. It was a really interesting take on a dystopian society and I look forward to finding out more about the world in the next book.
This is the first new book I've been able to complete in a while. My mom brain just hasn't been in the zone to accept new stories. I'm happily going on to the next one which just came out.